22 Jun 2018 --- “Postbiotics” – the metabolic byproducts produced by our gut bacteria – and even smart toilet paper are some of the ideas within digestive health put forward following novel research at King's College London into the function of gut bacteria. Linked to a range of health-related conditions, the gut microbiome has been a topic of growing interest. However, although there is an established list of gut bacteria, their function in the gut has remained reasonably unknown. The researchers have set out to create a database of fecal metabolites – compounds produced by the gut microbiome – in an attempt to shed light on the relationship between what we eat, the way it is processed by our gut microbes and how we accumulate abdominal fat.